International Self-Care Day: Care For Both The Planet & Self With Our Top Picks

International Self-Care Day (celebrated today on July 24th) symbolizes the benefits of self-care which are experienced ‘24 hours a day - 7 days a week’. In honor of this day, we at ERIN HQ have compiled a list of delightful personal care products from brands we think align with ERIN core values supporting sustainability, eco-friendliness, and female empowerment. The 'top 7 product picks' below were made with gymnasts specifically in mind as they are all hydrating, soothing, clarifying, and gentle enough to be enjoyed by all ages.

1. Pacha Soap Co - Bar Soap and Salt Soaking Blocks

The product:

‘PACHAFETTI’ BAR SOAP

This bar of soap is a ‘no waste blend’, meaning it is crafted with scraps from each of their other soaps. The soap is colorful, contains bits and pieces of all their amazing soaps, and best of all, it is mindful of production-waste! Brightly scented with lemongrass and peppermint essential oil and made with sustainably produced palm oil, wild harvested unrefined shea butter and hydrating castor seed oil.

The brand: plastic-limited packaging, environmentally conscious, clean ingredients

What stood out: Pacha Soap Co makes a dazzling array of luxurious, all-natural, clean-ingredient products such as: bath bombs, soaking salts and salt blocks, body butters, hair wash bars and face wash bars. We also love their ‘soap saver’ bags made of organic cotton and their fast-drying soap dish made of diatomaceous earth (which is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock). The product quality and thoughtfulness really made this our top choice for a self-care shopping spree. Read more about Pacha Soap Co here.

2. HiBAR - Face Cleansing Bars

The product: 

‘HYDRATE’ SOLID FACE WASH

This bar moisturizes while it deep cleans. It is formulated for dry sensitive skin, and is packed with amino acids and squalene to cleanse skin without stripping away moisture. Each face wash bar contains 12 unique amino acids which are the building blocks of healthy skin. They are 100% plant-based and pH balanced to match the skin’s pH level. The concentrated, waterless formulas are made to last and are smaller/lighter to ship than bulky liquid face wash.

The brand: female-founded, clean ingredients, plastic free-packaging 

What stood out: Their packaging is all paper, printed with vegetable-based ink – so it won’t outlast its welcome. Instead of typical packaging that can last for centuries, HiBAR’s can be recycled as fiber for other uses, or composted to feed the flowers. Even the shipping containers are 100% plastic-free (no bubble wrap, no plastic tape) and they even finish pallets with compostable wrap. Read more about HiBar here. 

3. Nolé - Shampoo Bars

The product:

‘DISCOVERY SET’ SHAMPOO & CONDITIONING BARS

This set contains a cool sampling of their flagship products so you can choose what’s right for you. What’s included: Arnica for Volume Shampoo Bar (promotes growth and fullness), Coconut for Frizz Shampoo Bar (tames flyaways), Rosemary for Balance Shampoo Bar (neutralizes scalp to end dryness), For Frizz Conditioner Bar (hydrates and tames), Fragrance-Free Conditioner Bar (gently moisturizes). All products are pH balanced for hair and made with cruelty-free clean formulas.

The brand: female-founded, clean ingredients, plastic free-packaging 

What stood out: Their packaging is all paper-based, their female-founder is passionate about healthy hair and a healthy planet, and they partner with local communities for the harvesting of their product’s featured ingredient: batana oil. Read more about Nolé here.

4. MeowMeowTweet - Clean Deodorant

The product:

VANILLA BEAN DEODORANT STICK

Described as ‘sweet, subtle, and soft’ this gently scented vanilla bean deodorant smells as good as it feels (made with all natural plant oils and scents). Like most of their deodorant sticks, this one is made for sensitive skin (a baking soda free formula) and is packaged in their iconic biodegradable tube. 

The brand: female-founded, clean ingredients, plastic free-packaging 

What stood out: Their business is social justice conscious and earth conscious. We were delighted to read that they weigh their trash weekly and try to reduce  waste by 15% year over year, they make things in small batches because it helps to control and audit their own waste, and they offset their utilities with wind power. Read more about MeowMeowTweet here. 

5. ESW Beauty - Nourishing Face Masks

The product:

MATCHA ALMOND MILK SHEET MASK

All the milk sheet masks are made of nourishing and hydrating blends that soothe and revitalize the skin – feeding skin with naturally crafted serums. This mask combines green tea and sweet almond seed extracts and witch hazel water to create a decadent revitalizing treatment for the face.

The brand: female-founded, clean ingredients, environmentally conscious

What stood out: All of their masks are made of cupra which is a fabric made from cotton liner. Cotton linter was previously discarded as a waste material during cotton processing, and now, they are reusing this compostable and vegan material to make facial masks! The sheet mask pouch falls into the LDPE 4 recyclable category which can also be given a second life in items such as trash cans, compost bins, garbage bags, floor tile, etc. Read more about ESW Beauty here. 

6. Lanolips - Soothing Multi-Balms

The product:

101 OINTMENT MULTI-BALM

This is a flagship 101 Ointment infused with vitamin E and natural watermelon fruit extracts to create the ‘ultimate natural hydrator’. Like all their products, it features ultra-pure grade Aussie lanolin which is a deeply moisturizing oil naturally occurring in sheep’s wool (harvested without any cruelty -  extracted only from shorn wool, aka, from the clippings of necessary sheep ‘haircuts’). Lanolin allows skin to self-hydrate from within, but also acts as a breathable skin barrier. It holds up to 400% of its weight in moisture, behaving as a moisture reservoir for your skin.

The brand: female-founded, clean ingredients, environmentally conscious

What stood out: Lanolin is a natural, renewable and sustainable resource - it's a by-product of wool washing! This company is also community-focused and puts initiative in donating to organizations which offer aid to country and rural communities that  may be suffering through drought, fire or other hardship. Read more about Lanolips here.

7. Savvy Planet - 2oz Bottles That Travel Well

The product:

TRAVEL SPRAY BOTTLES

Instead of buying pre-made mini containers of sanitizer year-round, elect to not spend your cash on plastic-enclosed product and have fun creating your own sanitizing spray at home! These little spray bottles are TSA-approved and easy to assemble. The silicone sleeves make them easier to grip and more resistant to damage if they fall to the ground.

ERIN HQ's favorite recipe for a sensational smelling sanitizer:

Step one: fill your spray bottle up 2/3 of the way up with 70% isopropyl alcohol or ethyl alcohol.

Step two: add 2 drops of vegetable glycerin, 3 drops of essential oil (we love orange), and 3 drops of vanilla extract.

Step three: fill the rest of the empty space left with a splash of tap water.

The brand: female-founded, focused on carbon-footprint reduction

What stood out: The founder’s mission is to use her influence as a broadcast journalist to promote product and ways of living that align with eco-consciousness, eco-friendliness and wellness. We love it when people use their personal brands to promote thinking outside the box and personally innovating for eco-friendly change. Read more about Savvy Planet here.

At ERIN HQ we’re always particularly inspired by other brands which share our desire to move industries away from wasteful, unsustainable, and polluting practices – working instead to adopt innovative processes/solutions that will conserve vital resources, protect and preserve the environment, and offset carbon footprints.